Compare Uruguay (2005) - Lesotho (2004)

Compare Uruguay (2005) z Lesotho (2004)

	Uruguay (2005)	Lesotho (2004)

Administrative divisions	19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres	10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure	0-14 years: 23.2% (male 403,041/female 389,427) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 1,076,960/female 1,095,833) 65 years and over: 13.2% (male 183,877/female 266,782) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 37.3% (male 350,288; female 345,815) 15-64 years: 57.2% (male 521,434; female 545,183) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 41,903; female 60,417) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish	corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports	64 (2004 est.)	28 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 50 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.)	total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km	total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than the state of Washington	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to became an important commercial center. Annexed by Brazil as a separate province in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.	Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody South African military intervention. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002.
Birth rate	14.09 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	26.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $3.332 billion expenditures: $3.787 billion, including capital expenditures of $193 million (2004 est.)	revenues: $625.4 million expenditures: $675.2 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2003 est.)
Capital	Montevideo	Maseru
Climate	warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown	temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline	660 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	27 November 1966, effective February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997	2 April 1993
Country name	conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province	conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland
Currency	-	loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate	9.06 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	24.79 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$12.8 billion (March 2004)	$735 million (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611	chief of mission: Ambassador Robert G. LOFTIS embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 312666 FAX: [266] 310116
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos GIANELLI Derois chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico)	chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Disputes - international	uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina	none
Economic aid - donor	-	ODA $4.4 million
Economic aid - recipient	NA	$41.5 million (2000)
Economy - overview	Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 massive withdrawals by Argentina of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks led to a plunge in the Uruguyan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the serious banking crisis. Unemployment rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF limited the damage. The debt swap with private creditors carried out in 2003, which extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's $11.3 billion in public debt, substantially alleviated the country's amortization burden in the coming years and restored public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, the weakness of the dollar against the euro, growth in the region, low international interest rates, and greater export competitiveness.	Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue, but the government has strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.
Electricity - consumption	5.878 billion kWh (2003)	40 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	954 million kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	434.2 million kWh (2003)	40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Electricity - production	8.536 billion kWh (2003)	0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m	lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues	water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal	population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa
Environment - international agreements	party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent)	Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates	Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.319 (2001), 12.1 (2000)	maloti per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%	chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995, while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998) cabinet: Cabinet elections: none; according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution, which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may even depose the monarch
Exports	NA	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products	manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - partners	US 17.3%, Brazil 16%, Germany 6.3%, Argentina 6.2%, Mexico 4.2% (2004)	US 97.6%, Canada 1.5%, France 0.5% (2003)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy	divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is white, bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $5.583 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 7.9% industry: 27.4% services: 64.8% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 15.3% industry: 43.3% services: 41.4% (2003)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	10.2% (2004 est.)	4% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	33 00 S, 56 00 W	29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note	second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising	landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways	total: 8,983 km paved: 8,081 km unpaved: 902 km (1999 est.)	total: 5,940 km paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 25.8% (1997)	lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4%
Imports	NA	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum	food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)
Imports - partners	Argentina 19.5%, Brazil 19%, Paraguay 12.9%, US 9.2%, China 6% (2004)	Hong Kong 36.6%, Taiwan 36.2%, China 12%, Germany 9.9% (2003)
Independence	25 August 1825 (from Brazil)	4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	22% (2004 est.)	15.5% (1999)
Industries	food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages	food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 11.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 90.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	7.6% (2004 est.)	6.1% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	1,800 sq km (1998 est.)	10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)	High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force	1.56 million (2004 est.)	838,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70%	86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries	total: 1,564 km border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km	total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use	arable land: 7.43% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 92.34% (2001)	arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2001)
Languages	Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)	Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system	based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120 in the May 2002 election elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC 7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.13 years male: 72.92 years female: 79.45 years (2005 est.)	total population: 36.81 years male: 36.81 years female: 36.81 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil	Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references	South America	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,918 GRT/10,342 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Argentina 3, Greece 1) registered in other countries: 8 (2005)	-
Military - note	-	the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs
Military branches	Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force	Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; with Army and Air Wing)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$257.5 million (2004)	$32.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2% (2004)	2.6% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 465,827 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 253,974 (2004 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 25 August (1825)	Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality	noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan	noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards	seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts	periodic droughts
Natural resources	arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries	water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate	-0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	gas 192 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Colorado Party [Jorge BATLLE Ibanez]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera]; New Sector/Space Coalition (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition (Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio) or EP-FA [Tabare VAZQUEZ]; Independent Party (Partido Independiente) [leader NA]	Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	Agrupacion UTE (powerful state worker's union), Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association), Uruguayan Construction League, Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association), Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization), Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization), the Catholic Church, students	NA
Population	3,415,920 (July 2005 est.)	1,865,040 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	21% of households (2003)	49% (1999)
Population growth rate	0.47% (2005 est.)	0.14% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Montevideo	none
Radio broadcast stations	AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways	total: 2,073 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2004)	-
Religions	Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31%	Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal and compulsory	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)	general assessment: rudimentary system domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	946,500 (2002)	28,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	652,000 (2002)	92,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	23 (2002)	1 (2000)
Terrain	mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland	mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate	1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)	3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	13% (2004 est.)	45% (2002)
Waterways	1,600 km (2002)	-

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